Regarding the July 7 front-page article “Trump confirms his role in FIFA red-card reversal”:
I was embarrassed to read that President Donald Trump urged FIFA President Gianni Infantino to review the one-game suspension of Folarin Balogun. FIFA’s subsequent decision to reverse course was appalling.
As a lifelong fan of the U.S. men’s national team, I was thrilled by the prospect of its leading scorer at this World Cup being available to play in Monday’s match. But his inclusion should not have been at the expense of fairness and dignity. The optics of the world’s most powerful man meddling in the internal affairs of international soccer sullies the game.
Nelson Mandela famously declared, “Sport has the power to change the world.” FIFA apparently appeasing Trump sadly reflected the opposite: political power changing — and corrupting — sport. The “world’s game” deserves better. The U.S. men’s national team did, too.
T. Michael Spencer, Washington
Folarin Balogun’s suspension reversal shows it is high time that soccer create guidelines to what exactly is a foul. Fouls should be based on actions and intent, not on results. In addition, given the speed, talent and physicality in the modern game, soccer should increase the on-field refereeing.
Soccer currently has one referee covering two acres of ground, so they are often forced to make a call based on appearances. This not only leads to inconsistencies, but it also leads to players often writhing on the ground pretending to be mortally injured. Too often, a defender crashes into an attacking player and because the defender’s foot came down first during the collision, the attacking player is given a foul and, often, a yellow card.
Cary C. Schwartzbach, Annandale
Celebrating America honestly
The July 5 news article “A birthday beset by extreme heat and political division” captured more than a celebration. It reminded me of the enduring promise expressed in the nation’s first great sentence: “All men are created equal.”
The images of people celebrating in communities, of ships passing the Statue of Liberty and fireworks over American cities will stay with me.
As a European now living in Brooklyn, I have come to see America as more than a place but as ideas and values, renewed by those who choose to belong to it. The gathering of ships from around the world seemed an apt symbol. The sea has always meant arrival as much as freedom, and so many American stories begin by crossing it.
America’s divisions are real, and no fireworks should conceal them. But a nation should not be judged by only its most troubled moments. At 250, the United States remains an unfinished experiment still worth believing in.
Dimitris Eleas, New York
In the 1933 film “The Invisible Man,” Claude Rains portrayed a man who donned white bandages and sunglasses to hide his invisibility, a condition that eroded his sense of reason. On Saturday, hundreds of members of the inaptly named Patriot Front, a white supremacist group, marched nameless and faceless through the streets of D.C.
While marching in lockstep, they chanted “reclaim America,” and flew Confederate flags, among the American ones, reminders of the America these invisible men wish to reclaim. Their actions were not a sign of patriotism or courage. They were reminders of the worst parts of America’s history.
Stewart Speck, Wynnewood, Pennsylvania
I attended the July 3 service at Washington National Cathedral, “We Hold These Truths to Be Self-Evident: An Interfaith Service Celebrating 250 Years of the American Spirit,” expecting just that, a celebration of the American spirit.
Instead, the service focused overwhelmingly on one example after another of what our country has gotten wrong. Yes, it is important to remember the darker chapters of our history and to learn from them. But surely, after 250 years, there is also much to celebrate: our progress, our freedoms, the generosity of the American people and the ideals we continue to strive toward.
I left wishing there had been more appreciation, hope and pride in a country that, while imperfect, has also gotten a great deal right.
Sometimes reflection is necessary. But a service billed as a celebration should also leave room to celebrate.
Nancy Sosa, McLean
No more fireworks
The July 2 front-page article “July 4 fireworks are likely to cause hazardous air pollution, files reveal” noted some of the health hazards associated with Saturday’s fireworks display. But it did not outline the health costs of the sounds of fireworks, especially for people with health conditions attempting to sleep through the night. Dogs and their owners must also put up with the sound of loud explosions for hours on end.
Next year, why don’t we replace hazardous fireworks with glorious light shows set to music?
Linda O’Brien, Takoma Park
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